Boston Seaport loft has beams, exposed brick
Several different stories purport to tell how Sleeper Street in the Seaport District got its name.
By one account, the name came from the fact that a mattress factory used to occupy one of the buildings.
Another, more romantic tale suggests that when trains with sleeper cars used to arrive in the middle of the night, instead of going straight to South Station, they used to pull them into Fan Pier and let the passengers rest until morning.
Yet another story, the one that rings true, says that the street name honors Jacob Sleeper, a 19th century wool merchant and one of the founders of Boston University.
Charles Joseph of Gibson | Sotheby’s International Realty recounts these stories with a gleam in his eye. He has lived at the Dockside Place Condominiums, also known as the Sleeper Street Lofts, at 15-33 Sleeper St., for the past 18 years.
Joseph is an expert on the area’s history. He is also broker for a loft-style condominium, Unit 402, which he has listed at $689,000.
You can feel the complex’s creative atmosphere as soon as you enter the stylish lobby at 15 Sleeper St. It has an interior balcony, an indoor garden and a huge, brilliantly colored piece of artwork hanging on the wall. A doorman keeps an eye on everything.
In the five-story building, each of the 31 residences is unique.
“No two units look alike,” Joseph says. “They were all originally sold as open studios, so everyone has configured their spaces individually.”
The homeowner at Unit 402 was one of the original owners when the building was converted to condos in the early 1980s.
A niche in a three-quarter wall in the dining area offers illuminated space to display objets d’art.
He is also an engineer, and he gave a lot of careful thought to the details of the unit’s layout.
The condo’s front door opens into a well-organized hallway with pegs and shelves for possessions.
At the left is an entire wall of closets, some for utilities and some for hanging clothes. A suspended bike rack on a pulley system allows for storage of this urban necessity.
It takes only a step or two before a visitor can see just what this home has to offer. It is a 1,445-square-foot corner unit, and it feels quite spacious.
“It’s the ceilings,” Joseph says. “They’re 12 or 12 ½ feet tall, giving that enormous feeling of volume.”
The loft’s open living area is bright; the unit’s nine windows bring in plenty of natural light with a southeastern exposure.
New windows with granite on the windowsills and custom-made blinds add to the ambiance, and the exposed brick wall is appropriately rustic.
A billiard table occupies part of the loft. It is available for sale for $9,500.
The ubiquitous ceiling beams are made of yellow Georgia pine. “You probably can’t even find it anymore,” Joseph explains.
“Most of it was clear cut after the Civil War. It has the same tensile strength as a steel I-beam.
“Most people here have elected not to subdivide the space. You keep the structure of the beams and retain the historic character.”
Two industrial-style ceiling fans are suspended from the beams.
Wall-to-wall carpeting adds a touch of softness to the space, but the building’s board of trustees has recently approved hardwood floors, so a new owner could have them installed if desired.
An open kitchen is located on the back wall, so the cook can look out over the unit and through the front and side windows.
Although it could do with a bit of updating, the kitchen is nicely designed. All of the decorative trim in the kitchen is made of Hawaiian koi wood, as are the barstools at the peninsula.
The kitchen backsplash tiles are hand-painted.
(The trim also matches the unit’s hand-built pool table, which is for sale separately for $9,500.)
There are tons of kitchen cabinets, both above and below the laminate countertops, and even more storage overhead.
The black appliances include a Bosch dishwasher, a Whirlpool refrigerator, an older electric stove and a Litton-Aire microvent that exhausts to the outside.
The kitchen’s floor covering is custom made from a recyclable plastic material; its red color brings a little glow to the area.
It would be easy to have a dinner party in this place; adjacent to the kitchen, the current occupants find plenty of room for a long dinner table that seats eight.
The kitchen, which is open to the living area, has abundant cabinetry. The bar stools and wood accents are Hawaiian koi wood.
A lighted niche that works for displaying photographs or objets d’art helps define the dining area.
Next to the kitchen, a private office alcove is configured, separated by a short wall. Tons of built-in bookshelves here would suit anyone’s storage needs, and there is a long desk and convenient place for a computer.
A separate sleeping area is situated on the far left of the unit, separated by a three-quarter-height wall. Morning finds it filled with light from two tall windows.
Hidden behind a pocket door, the highlight of the bedroom is a roomy walk-in closet with organized space. There is an attic up above it with about 50 square feet of additional storage.
Two people can easily get ready for work at the same time in this condo. A dressing room with dual sinks is connected to the bathroom, which is a separate room with a standard tub/shower combination and toilet.
New owners might want to do some modernization, but the place as it is offers loads of possibilities. A courtyard parking space is included with the unit.
The bedroom has exposed brick on one wall and Georgia yellow pine beams
Joseph is a great advocate for the neighborhood. “Everyone wants to know if the Seaport District is on people’s mental map. There are 1,500 residential units in the area. It’s the perfect location.
“You go across any of the three bridges and you’re at the Financial District, the North End and the Waterfront or Chinatown.”
DETAILS
Address: 15 Sleeper St., Unit 402, Seaport District
BR/BA: One bedroom plus office area, one bath
Size: 1,445 square feet
Age: 1836; 1982
Price: $689,000
Taxes: $5,877 (FY 2010)
Condo fee: $466 per month
Features of building: Well-maintained five-story, 31-unit professionally managed loft-style condominium building with attractive lobby.
Features of unit: Spacious corner unit with exposed brick and beams, 12-foot ceilings and big, bright windows; custom storage built-ins in kitchen, office area and bedroom; bicycle storage; in-unit laundry; courtyard parking space.
Close by: Seaport District shops and restaurants, the Children’s Museum, South Station, North End, Boston Harbor, Financial District; easy access to MBTA Red and Silver Line, commuter rail at South Station, Logan Airport, Routes 93 and 90.
Contact: Charles Joseph, Gibson | Sotheby’s International Realty, 220 Commercial St., Boston, MA 02109. Phones: 617-725-1981 ext 104 (office) or 617-763-8014 (cell).
Website: www.gibsonsothebysrealty.com
An open house will be held Sunday, Aug. 15, from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.
